World’s largest photovoltaic solar plant

Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister announced that the tender for a 1,000 megawatt-photovoltaic solar power plant, which will be established in Konya’s Karapınar district, will be held in December. Poised to be the largest of its kind in the world, the solar power plant will usher in a new era in Turkey’s use of renewable energy resources.

The US, China, and several European countries are expected to compete in the tender that will attract more than USD 1 billion worth of investment to Konya. The investment will create a competitive environment in energy prices, as well as reduce energy costs. The plant will be constructed on a 2,000-hectare area and will produce 1.7 billion kilowatt hours of electricity. That amount of electricity should feed in excess of 600,000 houses.

Pointing out that this is one of the first energy projects of its kind, the Minister added that in order for a bid to be successful companies will have to install a PV manufacturing facility of minimum 500 MW yearly capacity. There are also plans that products could be exported in the future. Companies successful in the bidding process will start energy production by the end of 2018.

Turkey is set to hold a tender for a similar project in wind energy in the first quarter of 2017. Government will offer alternative areas for wind farms that might be of interest to investors, and that the tender will be based on a win-win principle. These projects aim to enhance domestic technology and R&D activities in Turkey and will create employment for Turkish engineers, which in turn should encourage further technology-based production in Turkey.